This has happened to me ever since I was a very young child. Carrot sticks = hiccups is just part of my routine. Celery sticks do not cause hiccups. Nor do any other fresh veggies. Grated carrots don't either. Nor do cooked ones. But one bite of a raw carrot has me reaching for the water for my get rid of hiccups quick trick that I mastered decades ago.
Most people think the whole carrot hiccup thing is odd.
My mother does not.
Because she has the exact same issue with them and has as long as she can remember too.
No one else in the family does. Just the two of us. So we laugh and take comfort in the fact that, if we're crazy, at least we're crazy together.
The other day I cut myself some carrot sticks and celery sticks for an afternoon snack. One bite of the carrot stick and the hiccups started. I got rid of them with my drinking water trick and then headed off to the couch with the rest of my snack. It occurred to me as I reached for my iPad to continue my magazine that perhaps I should do some internet research to see what's up with this whole carrot hiccup thing.
Guess what I learned?
1. I learned that there are a whole bunch of people out there who get hiccups from eating raw carrots. No other veggies. Just raw carrots. And by a bunch I mean like a whole bunch.
2. I learned that there is no obvious answer as to why this happens. It is not a carrot allergy - that much I concluded. A few websites said that we are eating the carrots too quickly but I know that, for myself anyway, even when I pay attention and chew slowly, I still get the hiccups on the first bite. I know I am only an n of one but there were others who seemed to think that this hypothesis was horsepoop too.
3. I also learned that one woman started a website as a support group for people who get hiccups from raw carrots so that they could feel less alone. I read through the comments and every single person wrote something along the lines of "Omigod I thought I was the only one".
So guess what I did?
I called my mom of course.
And told her that we were not crazy.
I hiccup when I eat spicy peppers--though I think this might be more common occurrence than hiccuping from carrots. I'm not sure how carrots affect me, because I won't eat them. When I'm asleep and have a dry-mouth, my dreams are all about choking on carrots. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy mom and I thought we were the only ones!
ReplyDeleteI wonder for how many other people this seems to be hereditary? My mom and I both have this problem, although she has it far worse than I do. I've seen a lot of comments on the net about this seeming to run in families.
ReplyDeleteJust ate one small cooked carrot-and guess what-instant hiccups!!! Nothing else causes this-but carrots-always!!!
ReplyDeleteI've been doing it for years. How silly... Everyone laughs at me cause I eat them anyhow! Just drink a glass of water and that seems to fix it!
ReplyDeleteOh my God, me toooo! Every time! Why????
ReplyDeleteI am eating carrots right now and started to hiccup so I decided to finally look up if I'm the only person on this planet that has the same reaction.
ReplyDeleteI am very pleased to have come across many pages like this one, that reassured me that I am not alone. WHEW!!!
Every. Single. Time. and do they laugh at me? Yes. Every. Single. Time. I've never known a single other person with this affliction until today! Thank you, internet!
ReplyDeleteI have the same exact issue. People told me to stop eating carrots, but I like them! I thought it was a fluke the first time, but after it continued to happen I figured I better look into this a bit further. I do not eat them fast. I do not swallow any additional air with a carrot, I eat the same way with all foods. I even tried taking a smaller bite, chewing it up really fine in my mouth and it still had the same affect. Glad to know I am not alone!
ReplyDeleteI have the same exact issue. People told me to stop eating carrots, but I like them! I thought it was a fluke the first time, but after it continued to happen I figured I better look into this a bit further. I do not eat them fast. I do not swallow any additional air with a carrot, I eat the same way with all foods. I even tried taking a smaller bite, chewing it up really fine in my mouth and it still had the same affect. Glad to know I am not alone!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see this blog! I googled "why do raw carrots make me..." and the word hiccup came up. Except mine isn't hiccups it's seriously painful trapped air in my esophagus that sometimes makes me sort of like barf and salivate and all kinds of run to the bathroom things. When it's over I'm very glad but it takes a while. Well I only just finally made the connection, but then doubted myself and ate a carrot this morning and there it was again. I'm done! Mine will be cooked from here on out.
ReplyDeleteThis is an important issue, how do we get
ReplyDeleteon the scientific research list? Although it is a great excuse not to have to eat raw carrots.
I get them too.
ReplyDeleteHiccuping right now!! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you! My mom and I are also in the raw carrot hiccup category!
ReplyDeleteSo happy to find that I am not alone! :) thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteI have this issue with raw carrots, turnip, and cauliflower, but not when they are cooked.
ReplyDeleteI get hiccups when I eat dry bread, carrots and apples. It's so frustrating but not enough for me to stop eating them.
ReplyDeleteAmazing that no one has the answer for why. I also have had this from as long as I can remember and just with raw carrots. I'm sure someone could get some research money to check this out.
ReplyDeleteAnd I translated hiccup and carrot from the Dutch word "hik" and "wortel" and how funny what I found. The supportgroup. I wanted to stop the hiccup ofcourse. By the way I also have type 1 diabetes. I still eat carrots. Regards from the Netherlands, Marijke
ReplyDeleteOMG - Add me to the list! Every time I bring them to work for snack or lunch hiccups begin with the first bite and my co-workers start laughing and say "Noreen must be eating carrots"! Glad to know I'm not the only one! Noreen
ReplyDeleteThank you... I'm not alone! My whole office thinks it's hysterical when I hiccup but it hurts. Literally, it hurts
ReplyDeleteI mentioned to my mum last night that it drives me crazy, I eat raw carrots and hiccup she said "So do I", it was great to see on the internet that I was not the only one. As soon as Im finished the carrots the hiccups stop.
ReplyDeleteWeird... Me too.
ReplyDeleteBrought carrots to snack on and forgot about the hiccup thing until the first bite! Then remembered that it always happens so, naturally, I googled it. Glad I'm not alone!
ReplyDeleteI get hiccups also upon eating raw carrots...and as soon as I quit eating them...my hiccups go away so it's no big deal! I was just curious as to why this happens and that is how I came across this web site. Nice to know there are many of us out there!
ReplyDeleteI only hiccup once after the first bite.....
ReplyDeleteYep Definitely not alone, just last night hiccup fit for my raw baby carrot addiction. Well I guess its the small price to pay for a healthy snack.
ReplyDeleteWell well!! Very interesting! I start hiccuping on the first bite sometimes. But, 100% of the time I'll hiccup for a half hour or so. I'm dieting and love to munch on those Petite carrots.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know WHY?!?!?!?
Thinking body chemistry BC me too. I have factor v leiden
ReplyDelete.....and my grandma was diabetic
ReplyDeleteThis happens to me too and I also Googled it to see if it was just me. Imagine my surprise to see many, many people have this same problem. I also have to have my esophagus dilated from time to time and have found a way to turn the hiccups into a somewhat positive; I use an indicator as to when it is time for me to have this procedure done to make swallowing food easier for me. When I can't control it by drinking water with every bite...I know it's time for the procedure. Thanks for this wonderful blog!
ReplyDeleteI always hiccups when I eat carrots, I'm glad to know I'm not alone! This also happens to me when I eat muffins, anyone else's have this problem?
ReplyDeleteI have always got hiccups when eating raw carrots too. I get laughed at a lot at work when I eat them. Brown bread used to do it too but not as often now. Been like it since I was a little girl and I'm 55 now. 😊😊
ReplyDeleteThis ALWAYS happens to me with raw button mushrooms. Just now it happened with baby carrots. I tried to google about mushrooms and it just brought up drugs lol I'll have to pay attention and see if it always happens with carrots (I snack on mushrooms more often)
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I do not have diabetes and I don't think anyone in my family does, so I don't think that's the connection. But I'm about to text my friend who does and ask if it happens to her.
DeleteFactoid: Cooked carrots are actually more nutritious than raw ones, so another good reason to switch.
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered if chewing a raw carrot releases some sort of gas that we're reacting to. Any food scientists out there?
ReplyDelete